This Michigan team, without a doubt, is the youngest group Brady Hoke has had since he's been in Ann Arbor.

Look at the roster. This team has 10 scholarship seniors.

Two of those players are kickers, one of them is an injured offensive linemen who used to be a walk-on and another is a defensive back who has made just 12 tackles in three years.

So what's that leave Hoke with, especially when Doug Nussmeier's group has the ball? One senior on offense (Devin Gardner), and a bunch of underclassmen trying to turn a corner.

For Michigan, youth -- like it or not -- is a valid a concern, or a fact. It can't be denied.

But, right now, it can't be an excuse.

Why?

Because 15-11 over the past two years at a school like Michigan doesn't provide anyone with enough time or fan patience to lean on a young roster as a reason why things might not take off this season.

Youth could have been an excuse people bought this year if the 2012 Wolverines -- with 15 senior letter winners -- had found a way to score at Nebraska after Denard Robinson went down with an injury. A win that night, and Michigan's playing in the 2012 Big Ten title game. And Hoke may have a Rose Bowl bid under his belt.

But he doesn't.

Youth might have also been something Michigan could have gotten a free pass for this year if last season's team -- led by 16 seniors -- had hung together and figured it out. Instead, the team came apart -- something the younger players admitted after the final loss -- going 2-6 down the stretch and officially making 2014 the most important season of Hoke's tenure.

The most important season, with the youngest roster.

Not exactly the predicament anyone wants to be in. But one Michigan has put itself in, nonetheless.

How did it get this way? Simple. The team Hoke inherited in 2011 was loaded with upperclassmen. Beyond that, though, the number of juniors and seniors to be left over from the Rich Rodriguez regime were few and far between. There was attrition. Players left. It happens during a coaching transition.

Most of Hoke's first two major recruiting classes (2012 and 2013) -- classes that were widely applauded nationally -- will be either third-year sophomores, true sophomores or true juniors in 2014.

So there it is. That's reality.

But is this a death sentence? A doomsday scenario? The end of days? No, absolutely not. You can win with youth, teams do it all the time -- especially when that youth is more seasoned than the average sophomore.

In Michigan's large junior class, 13 players have all seen the field as regular contributors since their freshman or redshirt freshman campaigns. In the sophomore class, which features a whopping 39 players with three more years of eligibility, 20 players saw valuable snaps as either redshirt or true freshmen a year ago.

Michigan's young, yes. But it's not horribly inexperienced. These young players have been forced into action early, in some cases probably before they were even ready.

You can win with youth, especially youth like this. But the development of that youth can't stop in the spring, it can't stop in August during fall camp. It has to continue to build, every week, throughout the year.

Will there be growing pains? Of course. Michigan's best bet at this point with its young offense appears to be reliance on a much more experienced defense. A defense with more athleticism, and a defense that's going to have to get off the field and keep the team in ball games early in the season.

If that happens, and Michigan's offense is given time to come together during the season's first month, there's no reason to think youth can't turn into production by the start of October.

Is it ideal? No. Ideally, you'd love to have a senior-laden offensive line. You'd love to have senior pass catchers, or more experienced running backs.